One Industry. One Council. One Voice.

One Industry. One Council. One Voice.

The Convenience Industry Council of Canada (CICC) is a new national organization that represents the interests of retailers, wholesale distributors and manufacturers.

The founding board of the CICC, made up of retailers and wholesale distributors, have made several key decisions regarding the priorities of the council. The co-chairs, Bryan Robinson of Canadian Tire and Jackie Bellerose of Wallace & Carey are excited about harnessing the power and reach of senior industry players. The CICC will focus on four pillars to guide the organization: Advocacy, Research, Responsible Retailing and Events and Awards.

Just as convenience stores bring together communities, the CICC brings together the entire industry to protect the interests of the channel and grow the business of all stakeholders. “Our industry needs a strong, unified voice to manage and protect its reputation. The CICC is that voice.” said Anne Kothawala President and CEO of CICC. “Governments need to hear more about the importance of our industry. We will vigorously protect the interests of our members on several key files, including food and beverage regulation, packaging, payroll taxes, red tape reduction and transportation and distribution issues, to name a few.”.

CICC also recognizes that market research and solid data analytics are critical in the success of any business. Facts and figures, trending data and forecasts help to inform members to make informed business decisions. The research will look at key metrics and category data focused on the channel. This information is not only critical to stay ahead of the curve, but it also underscores the economic significance of the industry, which is an important story for regulators to hear.

The National Convenience Industry Summit will continue to be the premier event of the Canadian convenience channel offering exceptional learning and networking opportunities. This year’s event will take place in Toronto, Ontario on September 24-26, 2019 and promises to be the most impactful yet. Save the date now for this opportunity to meet with industry leaders and grow your business.

“We believe in the role CICC plays to defend and grow our business in a coordinated manner while leveraging grassroots” – Stephane Trudel, Couche-Tard

The CICC is a national, not-for-profit council that unites our members who put the needs of the customer first.We will advocate for the diverse and dynamic convenience channel by:

Representing their interests at the federal, provincial and municipal levels of government on issues affecting their business

Providing access to industry data, research and best practices to help them with critical business decisions

Hosting networking events and business development opportunities with leaders in Canada’s convenience retail channel

Managing and protecting the industry’s reputation and providing a place of community for our customers